exaggeration
[ig-zaj-uh-rey-shuh n]
- the act of exaggerating or overstating.
- an instance of exaggerating; an overstatement: His statement concerning the size of his income is a gross exaggeration.
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Origin of exaggeration
1555–65; < Latin exaggerātiōn- (stem of exaggerātiō), equivalent to exaggerāt(us) (see exaggerate) + -iōn- -ion
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
falsehoodexcessfantasyuntruthbaloneymisjudgmentmisrepresentationfabricationhyperbolecaricaturefancypretensionaggrandizementcoloringboastingstretchmagnificationromanceemphasisembroideryExamples from the Web for exaggeration
Contemporary Examples
And this big box that encloses him is only an exaggeration of his regular nerd-dandy clothes.
No exaggeration, Ronaldo is one of the two best footballers in the world.
Why It’s Still OK to Hate Sexy Bastard Cristiano Ronaldo After He Saved Team USAEmily Shire
June 26, 2014
Exaggeration and hyperbole are constant campaign companions, as useful and expected as hammers and saws on a construction site.
It is no exaggeration to say that the way society deals with drugs is shifting more quickly than ever before.
Wolf is about the American Dream gone haywire, so exaggeration is the name of the game.
From ‘American Hustle’ to ‘Saving Mr. Banks,’ Why Is Hollywood Hooked On Embellishing the Truth?Marina Watts, Marlow Stern
January 8, 2014
Historical Examples
I do not suppose, my dear, that you intentionally told an untruth; it was an exaggeration.
Quaint CourtshipsVarious
All this was excessively irritating, and needed no exaggeration from abroad.
There is much to relieve the remark of Mayor Otis from exaggeration.
I tried to be conservative in my description, because I did not wish to be accused of exaggeration.
The ForestStewart Edward White
Indeed, she had to fight against the tendency to exaggeration.
A Spirit in PrisonRobert Hichens
Word Origin and History for exaggeration
n.
1560s, from Latin exaggerationem (nominative exaggeratio), noun of action from past participle stem of exaggerare (see exaggerate).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper